Can-capping machine



H. i... GUENTHER. Cm: CAPPING MACHNE. FME@ Der: 24. HNS. 2 SHEETS-miam iI NVENTOR ATTORNEY 2 SHEEYSSHET m H. L. GUENTHER. CAN CAPPING MACHINE.FILED Dsc. Q4. P919.

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Patented Dec. Zti, i922.

PATENT @EETCEO HENRY L. GUENTHER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CAN-CAPPING MACHINE.

Appacgaon med December 2i, 1919. serial No. 347,087.

Be it known that l, HENRY L. (tEN'rHER, a citizen ot' the llnitedStates, residing at .lios Angeles. in the county of Los Angeles andState. of California. have. invented new and useful lmprovements inOan-appin r Machines, of which the following` is a speelication.

This invention relates to a can capping machine, and particularlypertains to a crimper therefor.

When double seaming machines are used to place the cfips upon lilledcans. it is desirahle to provide means for securely pressin; r the, caponto the. can and crimping the cap in place prior to the first operationof the double seaming mechanism. thus providingV a packing action and atthe same time telnporarily holding the can top in place so that whenreceived hy the tirst spindles of a doulile scaminc machine it will hein proper position upon the can to he accurately seamed.

[t is the principal object ot the present invention to provide a simplemechanism which may her automaticallyY loweredover the top ot a can andwhich will serve to hold a can lid in position thereover and to crimpthe same prior to its delivery to the seaming rolls.

The present invention contemplates the use ot a vertically movingspindle, at the lower end of which a packinzcr disk is provided to forcedownwardly upon a can. and which structure carries a plurality otradially swinging' clampin} Q arms adapted to he moved inwardly to crimpthe flange of a can top in relation to the an hotly. after which theymay he released and the can with its top temporarily held in positiondelivered to a seaming mechanism. y

'lhc invention is illustrated way of e.\'- ample in the accompanyincdrawings. in which- Fic'. l is a view in plan. illustrating' a canfeeding' mechanism. in comliiuation with means for placincy a cap upon acan. and furthcr showing a carriage h v Ywhich the cans are transferredfrom crimpinct means to seaming rollers (not shown in the drawings).

Vig. 2 is an enlarged view in plan. in f thc arrangement of thc crimpinganism and its plurality of arms,

shows mech- Fig. 3 is an enlarged View in vertical section through thecrimping:r mechanism, as seen on the line 3-3 of Fig. 9, indicating bysolid and dotted lines the two positions of the crimpingl arms.

lu the drawings. 10 indicates a movable turret formed with a pluralityof radial recesses l1. into which cans may he placed and hy which thecans may he transferred to be acted upon hy crimping and doubleseaming,r mechanisms. The drawings in the present instance do not showany of the douhle .seamincv means: it heilig understood that they may heofthe two-spindle type,hetweenwhich a can may rotate. t one station inthe movement ofthe turret lo a vertical sha ft 112 is mounted. Thisshaft is adapted to he vertically reciprocatcd by any suitahlc mechanismand in svnchronism with a can teedinc' mechanism lil.

.\s shown. the can feed comprises a horizontal feed disk 1l operatingron a vertical shaft. and upon which cans are delivered to he drawn intoa runway 15. which is formed hetween side rails lt' and lT. 'l`hei'iuiway 15 conforms to the circumfcrence of the disk lJf for a portionot' its length and then extends with its center line substantiallytangent. thereto. lts opposite end terminates near a reciprocating feedand top mechanism 1H. to which the cans are delivered from the disk hymeans of a conveyor chain lik havincr upstanding lugs 2U which areadapted to pass in the rear of the cans and to carry them forwardlyalong the runway.

star-wheel 2l is interposed at a point in the length ot' the runway andextends partially across the throat thereof near the disk l5. Thisstar-wheel prevents the cans Vfrom hecominif liammcd in the runway andinsures that they will he properly fed to the chain il). 'hen the cansreach the reciprocating' feed mechanism lo' a top 2L) is placed upon thecan and thereafter a feed plate is reciprocated at right angles to thcpath of travel of thc cans along thc runway. This movement is producedhya. lever arm )4 which is operated hy suitalilc timing mechanism (notshown in thc drawings).

'l`hc can and its top are carried forwardly toward thc vertical avis ofthe turret lll and into a recess ll in the turret at tht` station Gtiover which the shaft 12 is supported. When in this position the can 25aiid its lid 22 will be as showli in Fig. 3,' at which tinle downwardmovement of the shaft l2 will be produced by a mechanism operating illsynchronism with the slide plate This downward movement will produce tworesults; first it will carry down a collar 26, secured to the shaft by apill 2T. Mounted below this collar is a helical sprilig 28 which restsagainst a pressuie disk 29. The disk 29 is spliiied to the shaft 12 bymeans of a key 30. This disk has a lower face agreeing in contour withthat of the cap alid thus will act to exert a. downward yieldablepressure upon the cap to pack the contents of the can and to insure thatthe lid firmly seats over the mouth of the can.

The collar 26 is also provided with a plurality of radially extendingears 3l. between which links 32 are pivoted llpoll pins 33. These linksare secured at their lower ends hy pills 3l to crimpingarms 35. Thecrimping arllls are pivoted midway their lengths upon pills 36 carriedby ears formed upon the pressure disk 2S). The lower ends of thecrimping arms have crimping recesses 37 adapted to receive the marginalflange of the. can lid and an inturned finger portion 38 which isintended to produce a crimping action and force the lower edge of theflange around the out-turned flare 39 of the can 25.

nism, it will be understood, as before explained,y that the shaft l2will move dowllwardly and indirectly exert pressure upon the plate 29tllroilgli the spring 28. After the plate 29 has become seated upon thetop of the an lid and is ilo lllore movable` the fulcrum pins 3G willbecome relatively fixed and will form pivot points around which the arms35 lliay swing. Further downward movement of the shaft and its collarwill draw the pills 33 downwardly while forcing the links 32 outwardly.As these links are pivoted to the upper end of the clamping arms 35, thelower ends of these arms will swing inwardly alid their recesses 37 willregister with the circumference of the can top. Force then exerted willcrimp the top into position.

As shown in Fig. 2, four crimping arms are provided alid it will be seenthat by crimping the can top over the flare ofthe can at three ormore'points, the top may be held while the can is transferred by theturret to the rst station in the seaming opera-tion. 1t will tllus heseen that the crimping mechanism here disclosed will act to provide acombined packing aiid crimping action alid willprepare the calls andtheir tops for the operation of the double seam'ing rolls.l and it willfurther be noted that in thel event the cap sticks to the plate 29stripper pills l() will be forced downaroulld the pressure disk, alidhaving lowercrilllpillg portions having crimping recesses at their inneredges with upper and lower walls. aiid relativelysllort inclined linksforming connections between the upper portions of the arms and thecollar, whereby downward lnoveilielit of the collar. with relation tothe pressure disk, will cause outward movementof the upper portions ofthe arms and all inward crilnping action of the lower ends of the saidarlns. y

2. A can crimping mechanism comprising a vertically moving shaft, apressure disk splilied upon said shaft aiid adapted to move therewith,a` collar carried by the shaft, an expansion spring interposed betweenthe collar and the pressure disk, a plurality of radially swinging armspivoted around the pressure disk, andlink connections between the collarand the upper ends of said arms. whereby downward movement ofthe collarin relation to the fixed position of the pressure disk will causeoutwardmovement ofthe upper ends of said arms, alld anl inward crimping actionby the lower ends of said arms.

2l. A can crimping mechanism comprising a vertically moving shaft` ayieldable pressure disk splined thereupon and adapted to be brought torest upon thecap of a can, a plurality of radial crimping armsl'iivotedtothe pressure diskand distributed therearound, said arms standing toswing vertically arid having recessed lower ends adapted to receive theflange of a can top and to crimp the same, a collar upon the shaft, anexpansionfspring interposed between the disk aild the collar, and linkmeans between the collar alld the upper ends of the arms for producing acrimping action upon downward movement of the shaft..

el. A can crimping mechanism comprising a vertically moving shaft, apressure disk mounted on the shaft at the lower end thereof, a collarmounted on the shaft above the -friction disk7 an expansion springinterof their elids around the pressure disk, and

provided with lower crimping ends having crimping recesses at theirinner edges, and

reaively short inclined link eonnevtiens hetween the vel'lur and theupper ends of the arms. whereby downward movement of the cellar. withrelation to the pressure disk, will canse outward movement of the upperends of said arms and an inward crimping action of Jhe lower ends ef thearms.

n testimony whereof have hereunto set my hund in the presence of twosubseribing witnesses.

HENRY Le GUENTHER.

\Vitnesses:

ROY A. BARTLETI, M. OSULMVAN.

